Families of Victims in the Gwangju Collapse Accident Say "Funeral After All Missing Persons Are Rescued"

Praying for Safe Return While Guarding the Site During Seol... Performing Ancestral Rites at Dawn

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Jin-hyung] The families of the victims of Hwajeong I-Park in Seo-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City, announced on the 31st that "once all five missing persons are rescued, the funeral procedures will begin."

The Apartment Collapse Accident Victims' Families Council met with reporters on the 21st day since the accident occurred and said, "We wish all could be rescued and brought back today, but it is regrettable that this is not the case."

The joint memorial altar will be set up after all have been rescued and recovered, in consultation with Gwangju City Hall.

They said, "We plan to spend the Lunar New Year holiday together in the tent as usual," adding, "Some family members quietly perform ancestral rites at night or early morning, hoping the accident recovery will be completed smoothly."

They also expressed sympathy for the rescue workers striving to recover the missing persons.

The Victims' Families Council said, "It is unfortunate that those working hard because of us cannot visit their families even during the holiday," and “We hope the rescue workers can be given even a day off. We have actually made such a request.”

They added, "While it is good to save the families of the missing, we hope they do not overexert themselves," and "It would be best if they do their best as usual."

The accident occurred around 3:46 p.m. on the 11th when the exterior walls of the 201 building from the 23rd to 38th floors collapsed at the apartment construction site.

As a result, one worker died, and two whose body parts were found remain buried under debris. The other three have lost contact. They are presumed to have been responsible for window installation and fire-fighting equipment work on the 28th to 34th floors of the collapsed building.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.